Arraignment Postponed For Son Accused Of Murdering San Juan Capistrano Couple

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SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — Arraignment was postponed Monday for the 19-year-old son of a divorced couple found shot to death in their San Juan Capistrano home last month.

Ashton Colby Sachs was due in court on charges of murdering his parents, shooting his brother and trying to kill one of his sisters, but his arraignment was postponed until April 4.

Sachs was arrested Thursday, and initially questioned in San Diego County, where he was staying with relatives. He was later brought to Orange County’s Sheriff’s Department headquarters in Santa Ana.

Sachs is charged with two counts of murder – with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders – along with two counts of attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation.

Branford Hans Sachs, 57, and his ex-wife, Andra Resa Sachs, 54, were found dead at about 2 a.m. on Feb. 9 inside their home in the 32000 block of Peppertree Bend. Their 8-year-old son was left paralyzed from the attack.

The couple had five children. Two daughters, who were not harmed, were in the home at the time of the shooting, sheriff’s officials said. One of the attempted murder counts was for Sachs firing at his 17-year-old sister, but he missed, Senior Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh said.

The parents’ business background complicated the investigation, according to Justin Montano, the primary detective on the case. They had extensive real estate holdings and investigators had been working to determine if their deaths were related to their business dealings.

“To us, it was at the time a whodunit,” Montano said, referring to the immediate aftermath of the killings.

Investigators, who said they have recovered what is believed to be the murder weapon, do not believe anyone else was involved in the shootings.

Sachs was enrolled at North Seattle Community College at the time of the shooting, Baytieh said.